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food in a hurry: bbq beef

The last few weeks have been pretty crazy! Between graphic design projects, job interviews, Ph.D. interviews, and everyday life, I haven’t had a moment to spare. The busyness of the last few weeks has influenced my cooking. I’ve been choosing to do fewer time consuming, complicated recipes in favor of quicker, simple meals.

On the menu: barbecue beef sandwiches with potato salad and steamed green beans…

I found an awesome deal on a one pound cut of flank steak at the grocery store. Immediately, I thought “BBQ!” So, I threw the meat in the crock pot all day with some beef bouillon, red wine, and peppercorns. Meanwhile, I made homemade potato salad and barbecue sauce. You might be thinking that if I’m trying to save time by not making complicated things I’m doing a poor job at it. But, you’d be wrong! Potato salad and barbecue sauce happen to be two of the easiest things to make!

I like mustard potato salad in favor of sweeter types. I also prefer to use dill pickle over dill leaves due to texture preferences. Lastly, to keep it simple, I omit common potato salad staples: eggs, red peppers, olives, etc. For those of you who dislike mayo, substitute sour cream or plain yogurt.

Boil potatoes in medium saucepan until tender. Place raw onion in colander. Pour hot potatoes over the onions to drain. Allow to cool. Mix all remaining ingredients together in a large bowl. Enjoy!

I like barbecue sauce that has sweet and sour complexities. It’s tangy, with a little heat, but finishes on the sweeter side of the palate. For more heat, add more cayenne. For more sour, add more red wine vinegar. For sweeter sauce, add more honey.